The SAARTJ Restaurant Aims to Show Privilege in Society

Dining and social experiments rarely go hand-in-hand, but the SAARTJ restaurant pop-up in Michigan is looking to tailor dining according to diners' privilege. Run by chef Tunde Wey, this pop-up was first run in New Orleans and suggested that white customers pay 2.5 times more than the people of color eating at the restaurant. This idea was done to show the 54% inequality gap and highlight that the median income of black families continues to fall.

The new SAARTJ restaurant will take place in Detroit, Michigan and will once again focus on inequality, through various personal factors. Before diners begin their meal, or even look at a menu, they will be asked to fill out a form that asks questions about education, race, gender and income. This information will then be used to craft the menu, determine the cost and define the experience. The factors will be used to calculate the diner's privilege and showcase how these factors can play a role in society. The decision to open the SAARTJ restaurant in Detroit stems from the city's history of racial and societal issues.